CULTURE OF INCLUSION
Our policy outlines our commitment to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging within our workplace and through our business practices, including adherence to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Broken Heart Love Affair is committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging where every team member feels valued, respected and empowered.
All team members of Broken Heart Love Affair have a responsibility to treat others with dignity and respect at all times and we support equal opportunity and treatment. Team members must not discriminate or harass based on personal characteristics under the Human Rights Code, such as race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, record of offences, marital status, family status or disability. By embracing diversity, ensuring equity, and fostering inclusion, Broken Heart Love Affair aims to create a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can contribute to our collective success.
REPORTING & ACCOUNTABILITY
Team members are encouraged to report any concerns related to discrimination, harassment, or accessibility barriers to their Manager, an Owner, the Head of People or the company’s external Whistleblower Contact. All reports will be taken seriously and investigated promptly, with appropriate actions taken to address any issues. This DEIB policy is reviewed annually to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with best practices and legal requirements.
APPLICATION
Broken Heart Love Affair’s DEIB policy is applicable to our practices on recruitment, compensation, professional development and training, agency committees and culture initiatives and the work we do for our clients.
COMMITMENT TO MAKING CHANGE
We believe in an end-to-end philosophy, taking both a top -down and bottom-up approach so we can make real strides, not just in our own agency but across our industry.
We are focused on four pillars:
- Lead by Example
- Create Opportunity
- Keep Learning, Always
- Accessibility for All
1. Lead By Example: Ensure Representation at The Leadership & Executive Level
Less than 2% of agencies in Canada qualify as ‘diversity suppliers’. With 60% BIPOC and female ownership, proudly, we are one of them. 73% of our leadership team is diverse and one of our first senior hires was a paid Vice President role to sponsor DEIB education and embed all our programming across the organization, not treat it as a siloed initiative.
2. Create Opportunity: Expand The Existing Pipeline & Build More Opportunities for Underrepresented Talent In Advertising
We actively recruit and retain a diverse workforce and encourage diverse perspectives and ideas in all aspects of our work. Our inclusive and thorough recruitment process is centered on specific diversity candidate presentations and interview goals for each and every role. From inclusive and neutral job description language to consistent interviewing questions and skills matching, we remove bias and conduct a broad search to ensure all qualified candidates are reviewed and considered as part of our comprehensive recruitment process. We are also working to fill the pipeline with talent from underrepresented communities in real tangible ways.
The Miles Philip Hammond Scholarship, sponsored by Broken Heart Love Affair (BHLA) in partnership with Miami.Ad School (M.AD) covers the costs of two, full scholarships to the school for individuals from under-represented communities who have overcome adversity, to pursue their dreams.
3. Keep Learning, Always: Continue To Educate Ourselves On The Issues Impacting Underrepresented & Marginalized Communities
Led by our DEIB Committee, Common Ground, we strive to cultivate a work environment where all team members feel welcome, included, and able to participate fully. We support initiatives that promote inclusion and belonging and offer training and education on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging topics to all team members. We have built a curriculum and provided tools for our team to continue to grow and learn together:
- Quarterly learning sessions and guest speakers to expose our team to authentic perspectives.
- Allocated DEIB Training budget of $500 for each employee, above and beyond all agency events and guest speakers.
- Dedicated Slack Channel for sharing resources, links and discussions.
4. Ensure Our Services, Communications, & Workplace Are Accessible to All Individuals, Including Those with Disabilities
Broken Heart Love Affair provides accommodations for team members with disabilities to perform their job functions effectively and safely. We offer accessible formats and communication supports for team members, clients and partners upon request and we regularly review our accessibility policies and practices to ensure compliance with AODA standards in the spirit of continuous improvement.